El Al Israel National Airlines | Jewish Virtual Library El Al Israel National Airlines Tweet A mere vision in 1948, EL AL Israel Airlines today is one of the world’s most advanced and efficient airlines and the ultimate success story of international civil aviation. The birth and growth of EL AL can be directly tied to the dramatic and historical events responsible for shaping the State of Israel . The establishment of Israel as an independent state on May 14, 1948 paved the way for EL AL to become Israel’s national airline. In September of that year, the Israeli Government wanted to bring home its newly designated President Chaim Weizmann and his wife Vera from Switzerland in a stately manner. So, government officials chose a four-engine C-54 plane from the Israeli Air Force and named the aircraft “EL AL” inspired by the biblical phrase from the book of the Hebrew prophet Hosea , meaning “to the above” or more poetically “to the skies.” Hurriedly, the plane was painted with the name “EL AL” and “Israeli National Aviation Company” in both English and Hebrew with, most beautifully, the Israeli flag on the tail.

The makeshift aircraft was decorated with furniture borrowed from the Israeli Air Force and the volunteer in-flight crew was from the Air Force as well. Meals were provided by a local kosher restaurant. Extra fuel tanks were fitted so that the aircraft could travel the 10-hour nonstop flight from Geneva to Israel . On September 28, 1948, the aircraft landed with President Weizmann , his wife Vera and an entourage at Israel’s Ekron Air Base near Rehovot (southeast of Tel Aviv ) to a military band playing Hatikva , Israel’s national anthem. By November of 1948, the new Israeli national airline became incorporated under the name EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd., with the Israeli government holding 80% and the remaining 20% held by Jewish organizations in Israel.

The mission of EL AL was, and continues to be, to “secure and maintain a regular civil air link between Israel and the outside world in times of peace and war.” With Operation Magic Carpe t in January 1949, dozens of EL AL pilots and cabin crew participated in the airlift of almost 47,000 Yemenite Jews and 3,000 Habbanim Jews from the Arabian Peninsula to Israel. The aircraft had to be repainted, enabling EL AL to fly safely over Arab air space. To accommodate as many passengers as possible, EL AL replaced the aircraft’s seats with wooden benches. At the peak of the operation, planes flew around the clock to Israel , seven to eight flights a day on routes of 1,600 miles that each took about nine hours, which today would take about two and half hours. As they arrived in Israel , many of the Yemenites kneeled and kissed the tarmac as their dream to be brought to the Promised Land on “Eagles Wings” was realized. Following the great success of the Yemenite airlift, an even more massive rescue mission of Jews from Iraq took place, called Operation Ali Baba.

In March of 1950, following Iraqi persecution of the local Jewish communities, the Iraqi government finally allowed Jewish emigration. Operation Ali Baba started in May of that year and continued through December of 1951. EL AL became the first visible symbol of a new life of freedom for 113,000 Iraqi immigrants. While these rescue missions were taking place, commercially EL AL operated its first trans-Atlantic charter flight from Tel Aviv to New York in June of 1950. That flight required four stops: Rome , Paris , Shannon and Gander, Newfoundland before arriving at Idlewild Airport (today JFK) in New York. With the arrival of the Lockheed Constellation aircraft named Mazel Tov (“good luck”), the airline finally inaugurated regular scheduled service between Tel Aviv and New York in April of 1951. Upon the outbreak of the Sinai War on October 29, 1956, every foreign airline immediately cancelled all flights to and from Israel . Only EL AL flew passengers in and out of the country.

As many of the airline’s pilots were called to active duty by the Air Force , EL AL enlisted additional pilots to maintain passenger service and transport supplies from Paris to Israel , proving that only EL AL can be relied upon at any time to continue air service. As a result of EL AL’s actions during the war, the Israeli government recognized the added value of having a national airline and made a promise to build EL AL into a major international carrier by purchasing three new Britannias (four-engine turboprops). EL AL became the first airline outside of Britain to use this innovative aircraft. By December of 1957, an EL AL Britannia flew the longest flight by any commercial airline on the New York/Tel Aviv route with a flying time of 14 hours and 46 minutes, at an average speed of 645 kilometers per hour. In January of 1958, an EL AL Britannia broke its own speed record with a flight time of 7 hours and 44 minutes on the nonstop New York/London route. Just after the Britannia began flying for EL AL, the quickly approaching age of the pure-jet aircraft led the airline to order new Boeing 707’s.

On the 707 maiden flight from New York to Tel Aviv in 1961, three world records were established: the fastest flight, the first nonstop service on that route and the world’s longest nonstop commercial flight. That year saw the retirement of the last Constellation aircraft, marking the end of the piston-engine era for EL AL. Once again, EL AL was faced with an enormous challenge, due to the outbreak of the Six Day War on June 5, 1967 between Israel and Egypt / Syria / Jordan , because so many of the airline’s employees were mobilized. Meanwhile, Israelis overseas and foreign volunteers mobbed EL AL offices worldwide desiring to return to Israel to help in the anticipated war. As in 1948 and 1956, every airline except EL AL immediately stopped flying into and out of Israel but EL AL continued passenger and cargo service. By 1970, the number of EL AL employees worldwide grew to nearly 4,000. In March of 1971, EL AL launched its first scheduled service to Canada .

During the same year, EL AL also purchased two new state-of-the-art Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets for the nonstop New York/Tel Aviv route. The capacity was double the size of any previous EL AL aircraft. The 747-200 was the largest investment Israel had ever made for a single piece of equipment, costing $31-35 million each. That year, passenger traffic on EL AL soared by 40% as compared to the previous year. At this time, EL AL began the first scheduled nonstop service westbound from Tel Aviv to New York. On October 6, 1973 , the combined forces of Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in the early afternoon on Yom Kippur , the holiest day of the Jewish year. Again, all foreign carriers stopped flying to and from Israel and Lod Airport was closed to all civilian traffic. EL AL rapidly began ferrying Israeli nationals home while airlifting emergency supplies, medicines and vital materials. On the second day of the war, the interiors on all EL AL 707 aircraft were gutted and an emergency cargo “skytrain” operation began.

EL AL pilots logged 180 hours of flying time in two weeks, an average of more than 12 hours per day. With only a quarter of the normal staff on duty to keep the aircraft flying, EL AL managed to maintain its regular flight schedule, again being the only carrier flying between Israel and the outside world. By the early 1980’s, EL AL introduced the King Solomon business class, logged the highest on-time performance record of any international airline and was ranked one of the top business class services in the industry. Within a decade, EL AL served 34 destinations worldwide with scheduled service to five more North American destinations, having added Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Miami and Toronto. On January 1, 1990, Operation Exodus beganand EL AL played a major role by airlifting hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews to Israel . In May of 1991, EL AL assisted in rescuing close to 15,000 Ethiopian Jews from Addis Ababa. More than 300 EL AL ground workers, pilots and flight attendants worked around the clock over Memorial Day weekend to assist in the life saving mission.

Dubbed Operation Solomon , one specially configured EL AL Boeing 747 aircraft carried 1,087 people (almost 2.5 times the normal number of passengers), setting an international aviation record. EL AL used 10 Boeing aircraft to successfully complete Operation Solomon . Three babies were born onboard with the assistance of doctors and flight attendants. After the Ethiopians heard the arrival announcement in the Amharic language that the aircraft was above Jerusalem , they began to sing “Jerusalem of Gold.” EL AL kept its promise to the Government of Israel that the airline will organize and operate a flight to carry immigrants from hostile countries to Israel within 12 hours notice. More recent humanitarian missions, in cooperation with the government of Israel , involved EL AL carrying 90 tons of relief assistance to aid victims in Indonesia and rescuing Israelis who were on vacation in Sri Lanka following the 2004 tsunami catastrophe. This took place even though there are no diplomatic relations between Israel and the two countries. Another mission occurred in September of 2005, when an EL AL 747 jumbo jet brought 90 tons of emergency supplies to a military base in Little Rock, Arkansas for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

In 2004, EL AL became a private airline. Even though the government of Israel’s holding decreased to less than 50%, EL AL continues to maintain its role as Israel’s national airline and displays the Star of David on the tail of every aircraft. A five-year plan to provide the highest uncompromised level of service to benefit customers, employees and shareholders was established. Part of the plan includes developing EL AL into a global carrier, implementing more sophisticated information systems, upgrading the in-flight product on existing aircraft, expanding the fleet and intensifying the full potential of EL AL human resources. EL AL has successfully accomplished these goals and is today an innovative leader in aviation. With a state-of-the-art fleet, enhanced in-flight services for every passenger and an expanded route network to more than 40 destinations worldwide, EL AL is the leading airline to Israel. EL AL operates the most nonstop flights from North America, including the only nonstop service from Los Angeles. EL AL is the only airline flying to Israel that has 3 classes of service. Premium classes are equipped with advanced new sleeper seats and passengers relax in modern new luxurious lounges prior to departure.

A new code share agreement with American Airlines and partnerships with other leading domestic carriers offer EL AL passengers convenient flight options from dozens of additional cities in North America. With annual revenues of about $1.93 billion and carrying approximately 1.8 million passengers annually, EL AL continues to invest in its future while preserving its traditions. EL AL still remains the world’s only Shomer Shabbat carrier (not flying from sundown on Friday until sunset on Saturday). Embodying Israel’s values of innovation and care, passengers are met with warm Israeli hospitality, Israeli flight attendants who make you feel at home and the best trained Israeli pilots. Originally created to assist those in need, EL AL continues serving as a lifeline to the world, reuniting thousands of families and providing immigrants with a chance for a new life in Israel . Today we proudly celebrate 60 years of nonstop service as Israel’s national carrier. El Al Airlines annually runs special non-stop flights from New York 's JFK airport to Poland , in order for High School students to participate in the March of the Living . In May 2016, over 1,000 U.S.

High School students flew with El Al to Poland to join 10,000 others in the March of the Living. These flights were chartered as part of the International March of the Living Education Programs, with which El Al has been a partner since 1988. Important Dates in El Al's History November 15, 1948: EL AL incorporated as EL AL Israel Airlines, Ltd. January 1949: Operation Magic Carpet, El Al airlifts approximately 47,000 Yemenite and 3,000 Habbanim Jews to Israel. May 1950 – December 1951: Operation Ali Baba, El Al airlifts 113,000 Iraqi immigrants to Israel. June 18, 1950: First trans-Atlantic charter flight from Tel Aviv to New York. December 18-19, 1957: EL AL Britannia plane accomplishes longest flight by any commercial airline, from New York to Tel Aviv in 14 hours 46 minutes.

January 8, 1958: EL AL Britannia plane breaks world record for speed with a flight time of 7 hours 44 minutes on nonstop New York-London route. June 15, 1961: El Al flight establishes 3 world records on New York-Tel Aviv route: fastest flight, first nonstop service and longest nonstop commercial flight. April 29, 1973: Begins the only scheduled nonstop service from Tel Aviv to New York. May 1988: El Al sets record for longest nonstop flight on the Los Angeles-Tel Aviv route, approximately 13 hours 41 minutes. January 1, 1990: Beginning of Operation Exodus, El Al airlifts hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews to Israel. May 24, 1991: Operation Solomon, El Al secretly airlifts 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. One flight carries 1,087 passengers – a world record. June 2004: EL AL stock opened to the public; Government of Israel’s holdings in airline decline to less than 50%.

January 6, 2005: Privatization of airline completed January 22, 2016: First all-female flight completed Sources: Special thanks to Marvin Goldman, EL AL historian and author of "EL AL: Star in the Sky" and "EL AL: Israel's Flying Star"; Blumenthal, Itay. “El Al celebrates first-ever all-female cockpit,” YNet News (January 22, 2016) Israel Has the World's Safest Airline, and It's About to Get Even Safer -- The Motley Fool Israel Has the World's Safest Airline, and It's About to Get Even Safer But while we're on the subject, why can't we do that? Rich Smith Mar 16, 2014 at 4:45PM "What's the safest airline in the world? There's no question. It's El Al, Israel's national airline." -- CBS So states the television news magazine 60 Minutes , in an unequivocal endorsement of Israel's national airline. There are many factors that make El Al the No.

1 airline to fly if you don't want to worry about terrorism -- stringent security measures for all passengers, sky marshals aboard every plane, steel doors securing the cockpit. All of these reduce the risk that terrorists will make mischief inside a plane. And now, Israel is taking the lead in adding a new level of security to eliminate the risk of having terrorists try to take a plane down from outside. Illustration: Elbit Systems . The threat In 2002, terrorists armed with Russian Strela-2 surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs, attempted to shoot down an Israeli passenger liner taking off from the airport at Mombasa, Kenya. They missed, but Israel isn't trusting to the bad aim of terrorists to keep its planes safe in the future. For years, Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems ( NASDAQ:ESLT ) has been developing a system of on-plane anti-missile defense that offers affordable protection to any civilian airliner. The solution Dubbed C-MUSIC , Elbit's system detects and warns a plane's aircrew of an incoming SAM, tracks the missile with a forward-looking infrared camera, and blasts it with a powerful laser to disable the missile -- causing it to detonate at a safe distance.

Configured as a "pod" that can be attached to an airplane's fuselage, the entire system measures roughly 9 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet, and weighs about 350 pounds. Israel has been testing C-MUSIC for several years now, and recently greenlighted the system for deployment. All 38 airplanes in El Al's air fleet with soon be equipped with C-MUSIC. Then, all planes operated by all Israeli airlines. The cost How much will this cost, and how much could C-MUSIC be worth to Elbit? According to published reports, the system will cost about $3 million per unit. At that price, outfitting all 100-odd civilian airplanes in Israel with C-MUSIC should generate enough revenue to make up 10% of Elbit's annual sales. Internationally, Elbit's biggest foreign customer is Brazil, which ordered C-MUSIC systems to install aboard its military KC-390 aerial refueling tankers. What would be truly terrific news for Elbit, though, would be signing a major U.S. commercial airline to purchase C-MUSIC.

The roughly 1,000 planes in American Airlines Group's ( NASDAQ:AAL ) fleet, for example, would be worth a year's sales to Elbit, while the 700-odd planes in the Delta ( NYSE:DAL ) or United Continental ( NYSE:UAL ) fleets would be nearly as lucrative. The competition Winning a U.S. airline customer may be tough for Elbit, though. For one thing, the airlines would be loath to incur the expense of C-MUSIC absent a compelling threat. For another, there's a U.S. defense contractor angling for the same market. C-MUSIC's rival is the " Guardian " anti-missile system, manufactured by Northrop Grumman ( NYSE:NOC ). Guardian resembles C-MUSIC in form, function, and price -- except for one detail. While Northrop says its system would cost $3 million per plane to install initially, the company believes that if ordered in scale, efficiencies of production could allow it to push Guardian's price down to $1 million per unit.

At that price, American airlines could defray the cost of the system, and provide peace of mind to flyers, for the cost of perhaps $1 extra per ticket . Photo: Northrop Grumman . And the big question: When will Americans get to tune in to C-MUSIC? That doesn't seem like a high price to pay for peace of mind -- not in an age when travelers routinely fork over $5 to the airlines for an on-board meal that used to be free . Yet to date, no U.S. airlines have expressed interest in equipping planes with either C-MUSIC or Guardian. If you want to fly safe from terrorist missiles, and can't book a flight on El Al, your best bet is to move to Germany , Oman, or Qatar -- and get yourself elected president, sultan, or emir , respectively. Why? Because all three countries have reportedly ordered the militarized version of Northrop's Guardian system for their heads of state. As for the rest of us, we'll just have to take our chances. Rich Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Berkshire Hathaway and owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway and Northrop Grumman.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days . We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . Author Click here for more 'All access unrestricted' The allegations first emerged in 2009 when a South African El Al employee, Jonathan Garb appeared on Carte Blanche, an investigative TV programme, and alleged that the airline was engaged in illegal conduct at Johannesburg International Airport. Garb claimed to have been recruited by Israel's Shin Bet domestic security service while working for the airline, and claimed that the organisation was conducting security operations at the airport that were illegal under South African law. The leaked secret document from South Africa's National Intelligence Agency, since incorporated into the State Security Agency, says Israeli intelligence agents posed as El Al employees. "They did carry firearms and had according to them diplomatic protection if they would have to use it," the author of the document wrote.

"They even had all access unrestricted at the airport." "This gave them the advantage to gather information with regards to arrivals and departures to and from South Africa." Garb revealed that El Al security personnel recruited by Shin Bet were made to profile passengers "racially, ethnically, and even on religious grounds". The programme reported that the spies conducted clandestine searches on the belongings of people they deemed suspect, in violation of South African law which only authorises police, armed forces or personnel hired by the transport ministry to carry out such searches. El Al employees also smuggled weapons licensed by the local Israeli embassy for use by the spies, the TV report alleged. Israeli officials publicly denied the allegations at the time. Shortly after the programme aired, however, South Africa deported an El Al official. 'Covert Israeli activity' Garb's allegations also prompted an emergency meeting between Israeli and South African spies and diplomats, as well as El Al and airport managers on November 23 of 2009, according to the leaked document.

South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation withdrew the diplomatic accreditation from the meeting, according to the document's account, denying the Israeli delegation's requested for it to be reinstated and instead telling the Israelis to follow procedure in acquiring work permits and gun licences. The incident also sparked an internal row between South Africa's intelligence agencies, with the National Intelligence Agency writing that it was "of great concern" that neither the South African Security Service nor the Foreign Ministry had informed them of the meeting with Israeli officials. Two years later, in 2011, five South African intelligence agencies were merged into the State Security Agency, to overcome inter-agency confusion and rivalry. In another leaked document, South African spies concluded that Israeli intelligence could use El Al to sneak into the country undetected. "The possibility exists that an Israeli intelligence officer can enter South Africa and under the disguise as an El Al member, go through all the checkpoints at the airport without presenting any documentation," adding that at least one El Al employee had been identified as a courier for Mossad.

'Strict confidence' The Spy Cables also reveal that Canada's intelligence agency had written to the SSA and asked for "any findings or information" on Israel using the airline as "a front for clandestine operations", promising to treat such information "in strict confidence". The Canadian communication noted that a private security company has also investigated the claims, and that its findings had been "in support" of the revelations made by Garb on TV. They asked the South Africans to confirm in detail allegations over the airport operatives illegally acquiring weapons, the evidence that led to the deportation of the El Al official and for any other relevant information. Follow Clayton Swisher , Rahul Radhakrishnan and Will Jordan on Twitter Source: Al Jazeera Content on this website is for general information purposes only. Your comments are provided by your own free will and you take sole responsibility for any direct or indirect liability. You hereby provide us with an irrevocable, unlimited, and global license for no consideration to use, reuse, delete or publish comments, in accordance with Community Rules & Guidelines and Terms and Conditions .

MORE FROM AL JAZEERA El Al Tells Passengers It's OK to Cancel Flights - Inside Israel - News - Main All News Inside Israel El Al Tells Passengers It's OK to Cancel Flights El Al Tells Passengers It's OK to Cancel Flights Israeli carrier says it will allow flights to be cancelled or postponed for up to six months, in view of security situation. Contact Editor El Al flight (illustration) Flash 90 Due to the security situation, Israel's national airline, El Al, has announced that it will allow customers holding tickets for flights departing Israel on the days up to Friday, July 18, to cancel the flights or postpone them for up to six months, without charging them for cancellation or postponement. Tel-Aviv’s Sde Dov Airport was temporarily shut down Tuesday after a rocket was fired at the Gush Dan region, which includes Tel-Aviv. Ben-Gurion International Airport is continuing its normal schedule, said the Airports Authority Tuesday.

However, it added, due to Israel Air Force activity in the skies, "Israel’s civilian air traffic corridors have been narrowed, which could result in delays for takeoffs and landings." “Travelers should be in touch with their airlines for more information,” Spokesman Ofer Lefler said. Additionally, “The Eilat airport is currently closed for all flights,” Lefler said. The airfield is threatened by potential rocket strikes from jihadists in Sinai. Israel’s air travel markets benefit from liberalisation, but El Al is losing out to LCCs: Part 1 | CAPA - Centre for Aviation Register to trial CAPA Membership! Israel’s air travel markets benefit from liberalisation, but El Al is losing out to LCCs: Part 1 CAPA > Aviation Analysis > Israel’s air travel markets benefit from liberalisation, but El Al is losing out to LCCs: Part 1 1-Feb-2014 Tweet © CAPA Israel ’s air travel market seems to be attracting attention.

In recent weeks, there have been headlines about new routes from Vueling , TAROM , Arkia , Transavia , Jetairfly , Wizz Air , Yan Air , Med-View Airline , easyJet , Meridiana , Air Serbia and Air Onix; and increased frequencies by TAROM, Norwegian , easyJet, El Al , Alitalia , Lufthansa and airberlin . Following the signing of an EU -Israel open skies agreement in 2012, a factor in increased services from the EU, countries including Russia , the Philippines and Kenya are also considering developing new air services agreements with Israel. In addition, a security -related restriction on Israeli carriers operating to Turkey (one of the few major aviation markets outside Western Europe and the US that has links to Israel) looks set to be lifted. For a country of above average levels of wealth, as defined by GDP per capita, air travel penetration is also high, but lower than for other similarly wealthy nations. The Israeli market has generally seen healthy growth in recent years, but this has been uneven. Israel has significant potential for the airline industry, but its realisation will continue to be subject to politically-driven developments on traffic rights.

Market growth is driven by international routes The total number of scheduled airline seats in Israel reached 14.7 million in 2013, according to data from OAG , an increase of 5% over 2012, when the number had dropped by 4%. Over the period 2003 to 2013, the Israeli market achieved compound average growth of 6% pa in the number of seats. This was entirely driven by growth in international markets (CAGR 7% pa), while the small domestic market contracted (CAGR -4% pa). Israel – total international and domestic seats: 2001 to 2013 Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation with data provided by OAG Europe is the dominant destination, followed by North America According to data from OAG for the week of 27-Jan-2014, 91% of seat capacity to/from Israel is in the international market. The vast majority of this international capacity is to/from Europe, with 43% in Western Europe and 35% Eastern/ Central Europe . North America is the next biggest region, with 13% of seats.

In spite of Israel’s geographic location, less than 2% of international seats are in the Middle East market. Israel international seat capacity by region Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and OAG The US is Israel’s biggest country market, followed by Turkey, Russia and the major Western European countries. This reflects the nation’s political, cultural and economic ties. Israel international seat capacity by country Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and OAG Unaligned El Al is the largest of Israel’s airlines Israel’s three principal scheduled carriers are El Al, the national carrier with a main hub at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion; the privately-owned Arkia Israel Airlines , a largely domestic player, whose biggest base is Eilat Airport and which also operates from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion and Tel Aviv Sde Dov ; and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion-based Israir . Israel fleet by airline Source: CAPA Fleet Database El Al is the leading carrier, with 27% of seats, with Turkish Airlines in second place on 7%. Apart from El Al, the other two Israeli carriers are Arkia Israeli Airlines and Israer, in third and fourth place respectively.

In spite of Turkish Airlines ’ relatively strong presence in Israel, Turkey has until recently prevented Israeli airlines from operating to Turkey for security reasons, although they will be allowed to resume services in summer 2014. Israel seat capacity share by carrier: 27-Jan-2014 to 2-Feb-2014 Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and OAG The landscape changes a little in the summer. Schedules data for Jul-2014 shows El Al’s share of seat capacity increasing to 35%, Turkish Airlines being nudged down into third place, and LCC easyJet ranked in fourth place. None of Israel’s three passenger airlines is a member of one of the global airline alliances and 58% of capacity in this market is unaligned. The Star Alliance is the leading alliance in Israel, reflecting the relative strength of Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and United in the country, followed by SkyTeam and oneworld .

Israel seat capacity share by carrier: 7-Jul-2014 to 13-Jul-2014 Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and OAG Tel Aviv Ben Gurion is the dominant airport Tel Aviv-Yafo Ben Gurion is the dominant airport in Israel, accounting for 87% of seats (week of 27-Jan-2014; this share is even higher in the summer, according to data from OAG). As might be expected, El AL is the leading carrier at Tel Aviv and the share of seats held by the leading airlines at the airport broadly reflects the figures given above for Israel as a whole. Tel Aviv’s schedule includes a higher proportion of premium seats than the global average. Although it has a lower percentage of first class seats (0.5% vs global average 1.6%), it has more business class (7.8% vs 4.5%) and premium economy seats (1.8% vs 1.1%). This perhaps reflects the relative wealth of Israel and the importance of its business sector.

Tel Aviv-Yafo Ben Gurion International Airport schedule by class of seat: 27-Jan-2014 to 2-Feb-2014 Note: the axis is abridged; economy class continues to 100% Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation and OAG El Al is losing market share at Ben Gurion in the face of competition stimulated by EU-Israel open skies The share of traffic at Ben Gurion held by El Al and its charter subsidiary Sun D’or is on a downward path. It fell from 43.5% in 2005 to 33.6% in 2012 and dropped further to 32.4% in the first nine months of 2013 (source: El Al). It seems that foreign carriers, particularly those from the EU, led by LCCs , have been attracted by the open skies agreement between Israel and the EU.

El Al and Sun D’or share of total traffic at Tel Aviv-Yafo Ben Gurion Airport : 2005 to 2012 Source: El Al Before its signing in 2012, El Al and the other Israeli carriers expressed their concerns about increased competition resulting from the agreement, which provides for a gradual liberalisation until 2017. The Civil Aviation Authority of Israel’s Director of Air Transport Ishay Don Yehiya was critical of El Al ’s initial response to Israel ’s open skies agreement with the European Union . He said: “We have really increased the level of competition, and we have seen El Al's response was not good. El Al has failed to do the necessary steps to compete, and to stay competitive. It will have to grow much more efficient, and it will have to do it now, because it's already starting to be too late.” (BBC, 20-Nov-2013).

El Al’s competitive disadvantages El Al has an ageing fleet, particularly on long-haul, where it operates Boeing 747-400s (average age 18.6 years, according to the CAPA Fleet Database) and 767s (average age 18.4 years) and 777s (10.7 years). While its narrowbody fleet consists of Boeing 737-800 and 737-700 aircraft, with a slightly lower average age of 9.5 years, this contrasts with the much younger fleet of many of its new LCC competitors. Other features of El Al’s operations, such as a schedule that avoids the Jewish days of rest from sunset on Fridays to sunset on Saturdays, add to its competitive disadvantages. El Al made a net loss of USD18.8 million in 2012, after a loss of USD49.8 million in 2011. In 9M2013, its net result was a profit of USD29.1 million, compared with a profit of USD8.2 million in 9M2012.

Its financial performance seems to be on an improving trend, but it may need to increase the rate of improvement in the light of growing competition. We shall consider El Al’s finances and strategic positioning in more detail in a separate report. El Al recently appointed a new CEO, David Maimon, to assume the role from 20-Mar-2014. Mr Maimon is currently VP commercial and industrial affairs, and will replace Elyezer Shkedy. As previously reported by CAPA, Mr Shkedy announced his resignation in Dec-2013. Penetration of air travel in Israel is less than in other countries with a similar level of wealth Israel is among the world’s wealthier nations; its economy generates a higher level of GDP per capita than the global average. According to seat capacity data from OAG for Jun-2014, we calculate that its aviation market has a higher number of airline seats per capita than the global average. Nevertheless, it sits a little below the trend line in a plot of seats per capita versus GDP per capita. Put differently, other nations with a similar level of wealth have higher levels of penetration of air travel.

This is the result of a lack of traffic rights granting access to Israel under the bilateral system. The dominance of Europe and North America as the major origin and destination for international air traffic to/from Israel highlights the almost complete absence of connections to other regions of the world. Seats per capita (vertical axis) versus GDP per capita (horizontal axis) Source: CAPA – Centre for Aviation, OAG (seat data for week of 9-Jun-2014) LCCs are growing their share of international seats Restrictive traffic rights have also inhibited the growth of LCCs in the Israeli market in the past, although the EU-Israel open skies agreement is changing this. LCC penetration remains relatively low at only 10% of seats on international routes and no seats in the domestic market. This is up from 2% in 2008 and 4% in 2011, but comparison with the wider region suggests scope for further growth in LCCs’ share of seats to/from Israel. While LCCs’ share on Israel/international markets is similar to that achieved on routes to/from the Middle East region overall, they have a 16% share of seats within the Middle East.

easyJet is the biggest LCC in Israel and almost every major European LCC, with the notable exception of Ryanair , serves the country. No LCCs from the Middle East or North Africa serve the country, reflecting its political relationship with its surrounding region. Israel LCC capacity share of total seats: 2001 to 2014* * Year to Month indicated Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation with data provided by OAG LCC Airlines based in or flying to/from Israel Wizz Air Source: CAPA - Centre for Aviation Ground infrastructure developments also appear to be welcoming to LCCs. Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport has a new passenger hall for international LCC services in terminal 1, now the main terminal for LCCs operating to/from Europe. The Israel Airports Authority expects 55 international LCC services to depart from Ben Gurion every week over winter 2013/2014, compared to 33 during last winter. This is an increase of more than 66%.

Israel still has more potential When announcing the launch of a London Gatwick -Tel Aviv service, to add to its London Luton and Manchester flights, easyJet summarised the appeal of operating to Israel: “The most striking finding [of our research] was the destination’s growing popularity with young travellers who viewed it as a relaxing, beach destination to visit. One of the reasons for launching new flights from London Gatwick is because Tel Aviv’s appeal as a popular leisure destination has been growing.” Tel Aviv is within five and a half hours of anywhere in Europe, putting it firmly in the zone of the pan European LCCs. In 2013, LCC seats on international routes increased by 70% versus 2012. As the EU-Israel open skies agreement gradually liberalises traffic rights further, and as European LCCs (and others) take more note of the attractions of the Israeli market, this LCC-led growth looks set to continue. Even Ryanair, notably reticent in pushing the sector length frontier that far, has asked for permission to fly to Israel and is reportedly considering both Tel Aviv and Ovda in the south.

All of this has to be good for Israel's tourism and for the country's connectivity generally. But it is bound to maintain pressure on El Al to plot a way to long term sustainability. So long as Israel pursued a relatively conservative policy, El Al remained relatively powerful in its home markets; that is changing now, but it is less obvious whether El Al is equally able to measure up to growing levels of competition. Want more analysis like this? CAPA Membership gives you access to all news and analysis on the site, along with access to many areas of our comprehensive databases and toolsets.

Question: El Al is the national airline of which country?
Answer: Israel